The present invention relates to tire repair and, in particular, to a method for repairing heavy duty truck tires which have experienced separation on their exterior surface at the intersection of the tread and the sidewall, commonly denominated the shoulder, of the tire.
The separation of a tire at the shoulder may be caused by a number of factors. Each of these factors is usually the result of heat buildup within the tire. For example, heat buildup may be due to friction within the tire caused by the frictional contact of the cord plies with one another. This frictional contact and consequent heat buildup between the plies is compounded when the tire is bruised or cut or contains a flaw within the cords. Another possible cause of heat buildup within a tire which may cause the separation thereof is an overload condition which places excesssive pressure on the plies, thus increasing the frictional contact therebetween. Of course, excessive ambient conditions may also add to the heat buildup within a tire enhancing the separation thereof.
Methods of repairing tire separations on the tire's exterior surface are known in the art. However, no such method is effective to accomplish the repair of an extended length of tire separation. In the past, when a production truck tire experienced a separation of over, e.g. twelve (12) inches, the tire was usually discarded as being unrepairable. One method of repair of such a limited length of tire separation appears in U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,481 issued to Schelkmann. That patent teaches the application of a cover to restore the repair area of the tire carcass to its original contour. However, I have found that the attachment of such a cover is only effective in the repair of tire separations of a relatively short length. If a cover restoring the tire to its original contour is applied over a substantial length of the tire circumference, the cover simply will not remain adhered to the tire carcass and will separate therefrom.
The subject invention is directed toward an improved method for accomplishing the repair of exterior tire separations which overcomes, among others, the above discussed problems and which provides an effective, cost-efficient repair for extended length tire separations.